Free template
Airbnb check-in instructions template
Check-in instructions fail in a predictable way: they're complete, they're accurate, and they're unreadable on a phone in the rain. This template is ordered the way an arriving guest reads: address first, door second, everything else after.
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Hi [GUEST FIRST NAME], everything you need for tomorrow. THE ADDRESS [FULL STREET ADDRESS, INCLUDING FLAT/UNIT NUMBER] [WHAT THE BUILDING LOOKS LIKE: colour, shop below, anything findable at night] Map: [MAPS LINK] GETTING IN Check-in is from [TIME]. 1. [FIRST PHYSICAL STEP: main door, gate, buzzer] 2. [WHERE THE KEY OR LOCKBOX IS] 3. [HOW IT OPENS: turn direction, which way the handle lifts] 4. [WHICH FLOOR, WHICH DOOR] I'll send your entry code on arrival morning. IF YOU'RE ARRIVING LATE The place is self check-in, so [TIME] or 2am both work. [ANYTHING THAT CHANGES AFTER DARK: lights, a gate that locks, a lift that stops] PARKING [WHERE EXACTLY, HOW MUCH, PERMIT NEEDED?] [NEAREST ALTERNATIVE IF IT'S FULL] ARRIVING WITHOUT A CAR From [AIRPORT/STATION]: [THE ONE ROUTE YOU'D ACTUALLY RECOMMEND, WITH TIME AND ROUGH COST] WHEN YOU'RE IN Wifi: [NETWORK] / [PASSWORD] Everything else (appliances, bins, the neighbourhood) is in the house guide: [LINK] IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG Message me here. I'm usually [TYPICAL RESPONSE TIME]. See you [DAY]. - [YOUR NAME]
Address before door, door before everything
A guest opens your message at a junction, one-handed. The first thing they need is the address they can paste into a map; the second is how the door opens. Anything above those two (a welcome line, a paragraph about the neighbourhood) is a thing they have to scroll past while a taxi waits.
Describe the building, not just the number
Street numbers hide behind scaffolding and unlit doorways. One sentence ("green door next to the bakery, buzzer is the top one") prevents more arrival messages than any other line in the message.
Send it before arrival day, not on it
Guests plan travel the night before. Instructions that land on arrival morning arrive after the decisions they inform. Send the full arrival detail the day before, and let the entry code follow separately on the day.
Send the code separately, and late
Arrival instructions get forwarded to whoever is picking up the keys, screenshotted, and left in a chat thread. A code inside them stays valid long after the stay. Keep the code on a page that only opens close to arrival, and the instructions stay safe to forward.
Questions hosts ask
When should I send Airbnb check-in instructions?
The full arrival detail the day before, so it's there when the guest plans their journey. The entry code on arrival morning, separately; that keeps the forwardable message free of anything worth stealing.
What should Airbnb check-in instructions include?
Exact address including unit number, a physical description of the building, the numbered steps to get in, check-in time, the late-arrival case, parking, and the wifi. Everything else belongs in the house manual.
Is it safe to put the door code in the check-in message?
It's the most common way codes leak. A message is forwarded to a partner, a driver, a group chat, and it stays readable long after checkout. Put the code somewhere you can revoke and that only opens near arrival.
How do I handle guests who arrive very late?
Say explicitly that self check-in means any hour is fine, then name what changes after dark: a gate that locks, a lift that stops, a light that isn't on a sensor. Late arrivals message because they assume they're a problem; telling them they aren't is most of the fix.